


Never as planned

by BaneKicksDavid



Category: Hey! Say! JUMP
Genre: #HikarusHardLife??, M/M, but when isn't he a my pace kind of guy?, call center au, hikaru tries to plan things and just fails, inoo is weird, takaki is precious and a dork, takaki's voice, who couldn't love these boys?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-12
Updated: 2016-10-12
Packaged: 2018-08-22 00:06:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,685
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8265392
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BaneKicksDavid/pseuds/BaneKicksDavid
Summary: He loved the way Takaki’s voice sounded over the phones, so low and melodic and as if each word was chosen carefully before being crafted. He had a voice fit for the radio. Hikaru was willing to bet money several women, and maybe a few men, secretly fell in love with that voice each time Takaki called them.
And, for just a few moments, that voice was all his.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [alchemicink](https://archiveofourown.org/users/alchemicink/gifts).



> I don't know if anyone's ever attempted a call center au before, but I figured I'd try? Apologies if anyone doesn't understand this whole fic. I work in a call center myself and in sales, so I based this heavily around my own experience.
> 
> Also written for the lovely alchemicink~ She helped me quite a lot with my first Hey! Say! Jump fic, and I wanted to write a small gift for one of her favorite pairings in return. Little did I know it would turn into this giant thing. Hopefully the characterizations are okay.
> 
> And with that, I hope you guys enjoy!

A quick ‘beep’ came across his headset, and his body responded like clockwork, his movements programed from months of repeating the same process over and over throughout the day. He sat up straighter, a fake smile tugging at his lips as he hit that cursed ‘unmute’ button to let his voice through the microphone. His voice always sounded fake, as if he was a happy robotic man who only lived to serve.

His eyes darted across the screen taking in all of the information available in the few seconds of his scripted introduction, mind carefully noting the faint echo that surrounded his voice with every word. A family name and address were already filled into the form, but where the first name would be…he couldn’t help but smile.

“How can I help you today, Takaki-san?” he said, leaning forward onto his desk and waited for the other man to respond. His customer service mask had flown off in an instant. 

It didn’t take long for the other man to laugh.

“That’s not fair, Yaotome-san,” Takaki said. “I can’t see who I’m transferring these people to. You’re cheating." 

He loved the way Takaki’s voice sounded over the phones, so low and melodic and as if each word was chosen carefully before being crafted. He had a voice fit for the radio. Hikaru was willing to bet money several women, and maybe a few men, secretly fell in love with that voice each time Takaki called them.

And, for just a few moments, that voice was all his.

“I’m not cheating,” Hikaru said. “You should change your chat ID next time, so I don’t know its you.” He laughed. “But I have to ask, did your roommate like his birthday gift?”

“Dai-chan loved it.” Hikaru could hear the smile in every word. “He’s been watching those soccer DVDs over and over. I probably have them memorized at this point.”

Hikaru wanted to record that beautiful laugh, so he could listen to it over and over again. Each accented syllable gave him new life, a new will to move forward, but this happiness would not last. They had a job to do, and, even if these moments were treasured, they had to end at some point.

“That’s good. Tell him I’m glad he liked them, but…the customer?”

“Oh.”

Takaki’s voice sounded surprised, and Hikaru couldn’t help but laugh. The man behind the beautiful voice was a natural airhead and forgetful, but who wasn’t without their flaws?

“The customer is looking for television and internet service,” Takaki said. Hikaru could hear him tapping on his keyboard through his own notes. “They’re looking to set up two tvs, and from my own service check it looks like they have 75 megabit speeds at their address. Should be an easy sale.”

“Sounds good. Bring them over whenever you’re ready.” He could already feel his smile fading away, the mask being pulled back over his face.

Takaki introduced the two, customer and sales representative, before the soft echo around Takaki’s voice disappeared. He was gone as quickly as he came.

* * *

Hikaru wasn’t sure when it had begun. He had never paid much attention to chat transfers in the beginning. Despite working towards the same goal of selling customers home entertainment services, the chat agents had always been difficult to work with. Despite having talked with customers over an online chat, they were unwilling to disclose any information they received. In Hikaru’s mind, they only wanted to push a customer onto the next agent and move onto the next online chat. 

As if the heavens parted and sent an angel there way, Takaki appeared. Every time he came across Hikaru’s headset, Takaki would always ask how he was doing and quickly recount his chat with the customer before completing the transfer. Over time, those few quick minutes they spent together turned into a friendship Hikaru treasured.

They’d talk about their day, Takaki telling stories about how he accidentally ran into his manager and how he once spilled coffee all over his desk, forgetting there was still half a cup left. In return, Hikaru would recount silly stories his coworkers would tell while waiting on calls to come through. Two minutes was all they had, and they made use of every moment to enjoy the other’s company.

He has been rambling the first time he let himself flirt with Takaki, not being careful with his words.

“I’m sure you look very handsome today,” he said before he noticed where his mouth was taking him. His hand slammed down on the mute button for his headset, and he tried to contain his scream the best he could. His flailing had attracted the attention of his neighbor, Yabu, who raised an eyebrow while breezing through disclosures with his own customer.

It took a moment for Takaki to respond.

“I have a feeling you’re quite handsome yourself, Yaotome-san,” Takaki said.

For the rest of the day, those words circled around Hikaru’s head, his face feeling quite toasty when he remembered the tone of Takaki’s voice. So kind, so loving. He wanted to melt where he sat.

Flirting with Takaki was easy. The other man was easily flustered when Hikaru would tease him, and Takaki had a little habit of pitching voice higher when he was shocked. But Takaki would always have a line or two the next time one of his calls hit Hikaru’s headset that would send his heart racing.

With each new call, their flirting game would begin. Each second that ticked by, he learned something new about Takaki, a man who’s only physically defining feature was that voice he all but worshipped.

The worst was when he didn’t receive any calls from Takaki for several days. Each chat transfer was a bitter disappointment when he didn’t see Takaki’s ID fill in where the customer’s first name should be. He couldn’t help it. Couldn’t help how his mind wandered to the worst possibilities. Hikaru couldn’t stand not knowing if Takaki had quit or worse, been fired.

The moment the next call hit his headset, all of his worries washed away. There was that beautiful chat ID he had been waiting for, and he knew all was well. Takaki, on the other hand, did not take their reunion as nicely. 

“Yaotome-san, you’re not fair,” Takaki whined. Hikaru had to mute him microphone to keep Takaki from hearing his laughter. “I hear you getting all of the other chat agents besides me. It makes me think you don’t like me anymore.” 

“Maybe you have bad luck when it comes to getting me.”

He couldn’t help it. He had to tease the other man. He hoped Takaki had long hair because he could imagine running his hands through it as that beautiful pout took over.

“Rude.” He could hear that pout in Takaki’s sweet, sweet voice.

Hikaru had to meet him.

Even if he couldn’t call these feelings love, Hikaru knew it was something more than a typical coworker relationship. He could see himself drinking their morning coffee together, a little more cream in Takaki’s because he preferred his coffee lighter in color. They would walk down the street together and maybe go to the beach if their free days lined up.

In his mind, the world looked so much brighter with Takaki in it. Color returned to the edges that has started to wash out from the monotony that was overtaking Hikaru’s life. If he could meet Takaki, only for a moment, it was as if he could continue pushing through those rough days to a better future. All that was left was to meet him and hoped their lives wound together like the daydreams that consumed him. 

His plan was simple. 

“And stupid,” Yabu said. He put his chopsticks down to rub circles into his temples. “You can’t go shouting his name through each of the departments hoping he’ll answer. You’ll disturb the other workers.”

“I thought it was a good idea,” Hikaru huffed.

“Just think it through a little more,” Yabu said. “But here’s an idea. What if you meet him, starry eyed and ready for love, but he’s not attractive?”

Hikaru was offended at the mere thought. “I’m sure he’ll be perfectly attractive.”

“Yeah,” he sighed, moving his plate just a little farther away from him. “I’ve heard him too. That voice could turn any man gay." 

“There’s no way he isn’t pretty,” Hikaru said. He leaned back in his seat. He couldn’t touch his food anymore. Not with Takaki occupying his thoughts. “I’d bet money on that.”

“Okay, then here’s another thought.” Yabu sat up, leaning across the table and tapping it lightly with his hand. “What if he doesn’t think you’re attracti-ow! What the-why’d you kick me?”

“I,” Hikaru put a hand over his chest as dramatically as he could, “am obviously a living reincarnation of Leonardo DiCaprio. There’s no way he won’t love me.”

Yabu snorted, covering his mouth with his hand as if he was trying to keep his laughter in rather than out.

“What?”

“Nothing.” Yabu smiled. “I just hope this guy realizes what he’s getting into.”

He tried to punch Yabu across the table, but the taller man was lucky the table was too wide for Hikaru to reach across. Didn’t matter. He’d exact revenge later.

* * *

Finding a single person in a company with over two thousand employees was far more difficult than Hikaru imagined. He wanted to avoid as many questions as possible for why he was looking for Takaki, so he ruled out asking his manager. All of the agents he asked where either new, and didn’t know where anything was, or thought the chat team existed in another dimension.

He had tried snooping around on breaks, looking at other agents’ computer screens to see if they had chat screens pulled up or if they were focused on selling one of the many products their company offered. Each time Hikaru went on a mission to find Takaki, a manager snapped at him to be on his way and he scurried away before they could ask for his name or agent ID. 

Perhaps he was making things too difficult for himself. There had to be some sort of agent directory that existed. A company this large couldn’t exist without one. He couldn’t ask human resources, he had already tried, something about confidentiality or something. Truthfully, all of their fancy words and terminology had gone straight over his head, so he had merely nodded and walked away. 

The only other person that would know would be their senior performance manager, someone in charge of an entire section of the business. As luck would have it, Hikaru knew one.

Inoo Kei had once been a sales agent much like Hikaru. He was a natural airhead and my pace kind of guy, one that many of the managers believed wouldn’t last. He ignored the preferred sales strategy, choosing to ramble to the customers about facts and statistics he had stored in his brain from training.

Regardless of what the managers thought, it worked. The flow and precision Inoo snuck into his calls made his sales sky rocket, and many agents begged their managers for the chance to listen to Inoo’s calls and learn his style. Many tried, and many failed. Brilliance like Inoo’s couldn’t be copied. He was truly a unicorn amongst a field of plain horses.

No one was sure exactly how progressed into his current position. One day he was on the phones, the next leading his own team into battle against customers. The day after he took his position leading all of the managers for the home entertainment business. The Inoo Kei takeover never crossed the mind of a single person until he stood at the top, smiling and never taking work serious unless the time truly came for it.

Hikaru had always enjoyed talking to Inoo, even when both of them were on the phones. There was an ease to him and the way he lived life that relaxed Hikaru. Even after becoming one of Hikaru’s many bosses, he’d find himself at Inoo’s desk at lunch or whenever he had a free second to talk about new cell phone games or about a new show coming out. 

He knew he could trust Inoo to help him find Takaki on his day off.

“Yeah but do you know his first name?” Inoo asked. He was typing at his computer with just a single finger, slumped over his desk.

He actually hadn’t thought of that problem. Perhaps he should have asked someone about his plan before carrying it out after all.

“But there can’t be that many Takaki’s in the company.” He was trying not to sway or move too much. The anticipation was slowly eating away at his will. 

Inoo furrowed his eyebrows, starting at his screen as he tapped a button twice. “You’re right. There’s only two, and one of them works in marketing so that’s not him.” Inoo waved his free hand. “Grab a chair.”  
  
He had never wheeled a chair over to Inoo’s desk so quickly in his life. Finally, he was getting somewhere.

“Did you know he have over a hundred people with the last name ‘Suzuki’ working for us?”

“Inoo-chan, focus.” He poked the older boy. “I’m trying to meet someone.”

“Fine,” Inoo huffed. He deleted the search terms for his previous inquiry and re-entered Takaki’s back in with the speed of a slug. “You’re lucky I love you. I wouldn’t do this for anyone else." 

“You’d do it for Yabu.” He leaned in closer, trying to get a better picture of the system Inoo was working on.

“Yeah, but Yabu’s a special case like you,” Inoo said. “I’d fight off a league of zombie ninjas to protect you guys.”

“Good to know in case I run into them at some point.”

Inoo clicked one of the buttons on the computer screen and suddenly it was filled with data Hikaru could barely comprehend. He caught a birthdate, start date, and what appeared to be statistical data about conversion and chat transfer rate. A full name was across the top of the screen-Takaki Yuya-and it was all he could focus on after that.

“Oh, it’ll happen. Don’t worry, and I’ll be the only one prepared for it.” At once, Inoo sat up and closed out the system before Hikaru could a better look at everything. “But you’re in luck. Lover boy is working today. Chat is on the second floor by the stairwell. Ask for Arioka. He’s Takaki’s manager and will point you out to him.”

“You’re the best, Inoo-chan.” It took all of Hikaru’s will power not to kiss him. “I owe you one.”

“Just be my ally in the upcoming apocalypse, and we’re even.” With the single click of a button, Inoo locked his computer. He stretched his arms up, sighing and he brought them back down to his sides. “No if you excuse me I am,” he checked his watch, “five minutes late for second lunch. Let me know how it all goes?”

The minute Hikaru got onto the elevator he could feel his heart slowly creep upwards in his chest. The words he had practiced over many sleepless nights had disappeared from his mind. He could have sworn someone made a comment about how nervous he looked in the elevator but the pounding drums in his ears blocked out most of the sound. 

This was it.

The chat team was hidden in a small corner by the emergency exit. In his initial search, Hikaru had passed by the small team of ten agents without a second glance and now he had regretted it. Takaki had been so close, and he hadn’t realized it.

The person in the manager’s chair had his headphones on, typing in a word document. He flipped one of his computer screens to a new browser and paused an audio file when he saw Hikaru approach. “Hey, what’s up?”

“Hey, are you Arioka?”

“Yep. What can I-” 

“Dai-chan, I swear I’ve called this customer five times and it keeps dropped right before I transfer them to sales. Can you please get the IT guys to fix my system?” one of the agents shouted. 

“Send me the call IDs in a message and I’ll get them removed.” Arioka’s movements on his computer were quick as he started an email to somewhere as he spoke. “Change stations for now and I’ll have it fixed before your lunch ends.” He turned back to Hikaru. “Sorry, what did you want?”

“It’s not for anything serious. I was just wondering if Ta-” 

“Chinen, not that desk,” Arioka said. He pushed himself up so he was kneeling on his chair. “Yuya sits there, and he’s only at lunch right now.”

“Aw,” the other agent whined. He picked up his things once more to change desks again. “I wanted to sit where Yuyan sits. He always gets the best chats at his desk." 

“Sorry,” Arioka said, rubbing his temples. “It gets a little crazy over here. You were saying?”

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll check back later since you guys are busy.”

He let his feet guide him, not knowing where to go. It was one pm on his day off, and he didn’t know when Takaki would even return to the office. For all Hikaru knew, Takaki could have left early or he’d be retuning in five minutes. He’d have to try again another day.

He found himself at a ramen place, the front bar with a few seats open since the lunch rush had died down. Hikaru slid himself between a guy who smelled like he just got out of a gym and another with gorgeous hair.

Hikaru ordered and leaned back in his chair, waiting for his order to be cooked. He kept an eye on the guy with gorgeous hair as he slurp down his noodles, a half drunk cup of coffee forgotten by his napkin. 

He couldn’t really help it. The guy was attractive with his erotic looking face, and how stupidly happy he looked munching on his noodles, fingers flicking through some social media website on his phone. When his bangs brushed down into his face, he took a careful hand and pushed them back as he continued reading small posts his family and friends had made.

Hikaru was fairly sure the way he was looking at this man was creepy, borderline stalker, but people did crazy things when they were heartbroken. He had been trying to meet a crush, a love, for far too long, and he had been moments away from meeting him but it had been snatched away. Besides, it wasn’t like they were dating, so he was allowed to look.

The other man forgot to blow on his noodles just once and yelped at the sudden heat in his mouth. As if in slow motion, Hikaru watched as he reached out for his coffee and knocked the mug over, spilling the creamy contents over the bar top.

“I am so sorry,” he said. His voice was low and, oddly family to Hikaru but he brushed off the thought. “I really should stop having coffee. This happens all the time.”

“Don’t worry about it.” Hikaru grabbed a few napkins and helped mop up the mess. “Luckily it isn’t too hot.”

“No, really. This happens all the time,” the other guy said. “My roommate, or my boss, well technically he’s both, likes to play this joke with my coworkers to see how flustered he can get me to spill my drink. I’ve ruined three keyboards at work from their games.”

Hikaru had to cover his mouth to keep himself from laughing. This guy was too adorable. “You’re joking? Three of them?”

“Yeah.” He added another napkin to their growing mound. “Their goal is to hit five by the end of the year. Luckily the IT guys haven’t heard about this or they’d cut their game short.”

“I kind of want to see that happen,” Hikaru said. He started putting the soggy napkins into the other man’s empty coffee cup. “One of my bosses does something like that. He’ll walk around with a nerf gun and shoot people when they least expect it. We try to get him to stop, but Inoo-chan has a mind of his own.”

“Wait,” the other guy stopped for a second. “Inoo-chan? Like Inoo Kei?”

“Uh, yeah?”

“I work for the same company he does.” The other man’s face lite up when he spoke. “I work in the chat team for home services. That means I’ve probably transferred calls to you. I’m Takaki by the way. What-" 

“I found you!”

His voice came out louder than expected and the noise in the shop died down for just a moment from the sudden outburst. Takaki just stared at him, head slightly cocked to the left as he waited for Hikaru to continue.

“I-I’m Yaotome,” he said. The simpler the better.

Takaki laughed, the sound more melodic and wonderful in person rather than over the phones. “I was right.”

“What?”

“I was right.” He leaned up against the bar, hand cupping his chin. “You’re definitely handsome in person.”

Hikaru could feel the heat rising to his face in a moment. This had to be a dream. It couldn’t be reality, but the feeling of Takaki’s hand taking his, squeezing it tightly felt too realistic to be a dream.

“I also,” Takaki continued, “prefer this Yaotome to the one I meet on the phones.”

He couldn’t remember a time his heart was beating so quickly.

Hikaru spent the rest of Takaki’s lunch break talking with him, their eyes never leaving the other as he recounted his no quite daring story to find him. By the time that Takaki had to leave to get back to work, they exchanged numbers with the promise to meet again in person. He wasn’t sure how he had gotten so lucky, but he knew one thing. Inoo and Yabu wouldn’t believe it when he told them later.


End file.
